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S.O.S.: Society of Substitutes #1
S.O.S.: Society of Substitutes #1: The Great Escape: A Hilarious Illustrated Chapter Book for Kids (Ages 6-10) About Saving School from an Evil Ferret
If there’s a problem in school, there’s no substitute for the world-saving substitute teachers of the S.O.S.! This is the first book of this hilarious , highly illustrated early chapter book series. When Milton Worthy learns his classroom’s pet ferret is the evil mastermind behind a dastardly plot for world domination, it’s more than just about any kid could handle. But then not every kid is the son of a member of the super-secret, super-awesome Society of Substitutes! Now it’s up to Milton and his substitute teacher mom to save Beacher Elementary School before time runs out. HarperChapters build confident readers one chapter at a time! With short, fast-paced books, art on every page, and milestone markers at the end of every chapter, they're the perfect next step for fans of I Can Read!
96 pages, Hardcover
Published January 5, 2021
6 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 8, 2022
This was a great silly adventure/fantasy early chapter book! I gave it 5 stars because it was a fun story, it has milestone markers at the end of every chapter, encouragement from the characters at the end of the story, & comprehension questions & activities also at the end of the story. This would be a great chapter book for those readers that are just starting to read chapter books. It provides black & white pictures as well. As a teacher I even appreciated the examples of figurative language (onomatopoeia & alliteration) throughout the book. This one will make a great addition to my classroom library!
December 29, 2020
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
2.5 stars = Mostly solid to solid, okay overall but some issues
The premise here is a lot of fun. I was hoping for something like Super Turbo meets Lunch Lady. But I was disappointed by this one.
At first it was little things - what school allows second graders outside for recess at the start of the school day - twice - with no adult supervision? Why would a secret agency build a communication helmet with a speaker on the outside rather than a secure, silent head set? How does Milton know the name of weapons in a hero/villain battle he didn't know existed before? These are things that could have been easily solved with a couple sentences (or different tech - a watch or a tablet where Milton would have heard everything) that would still allow for what needed to happen so the story could move forward. Minor tweaks to the details would have fixed this.
But even bigger than these details was the fact that when the truth of the story is laid out, Milton summarizes it in his head rather than readers getting to enjoy the discovery along with him. Instead of a scene where Milton listens to all the details about the secret substitutes and Noah the evil ferret and thinks about what he is hearing while the reader is along for the ride, Milton jumps to the "here is what I heard, now what?" and I felt robbed as a reader. A few extra paragraphs in this section would have done a lot to bring the reader right into the action, the disbelief, the excitement of the moment and launched both Milton and the reader into the resolution of the situation. It felt like a missed opportunity to me.
2.5 stars = Mostly solid to solid, okay overall but some issues
The premise here is a lot of fun. I was hoping for something like Super Turbo meets Lunch Lady. But I was disappointed by this one.
At first it was little things - what school allows second graders outside for recess at the start of the school day - twice - with no adult supervision? Why would a secret agency build a communication helmet with a speaker on the outside rather than a secure, silent head set? How does Milton know the name of weapons in a hero/villain battle he didn't know existed before? These are things that could have been easily solved with a couple sentences (or different tech - a watch or a tablet where Milton would have heard everything) that would still allow for what needed to happen so the story could move forward. Minor tweaks to the details would have fixed this.
But even bigger than these details was the fact that when the truth of the story is laid out, Milton summarizes it in his head rather than readers getting to enjoy the discovery along with him. Instead of a scene where Milton listens to all the details about the secret substitutes and Noah the evil ferret and thinks about what he is hearing while the reader is along for the ride, Milton jumps to the "here is what I heard, now what?" and I felt robbed as a reader. A few extra paragraphs in this section would have done a lot to bring the reader right into the action, the disbelief, the excitement of the moment and launched both Milton and the reader into the resolution of the situation. It felt like a missed opportunity to me.
April 26, 2021
Cute, silly fun, with an escaped classroom pet story turning into a tale of superhero substitute teachers trying to save the world from evil classroom pets. I have some issues with the story- the MC, Milton, is responsible for the ferret escaping, as he forgot to latch the cage. While this was an accident, I did expect some sort of reprimand about responsibility, keeping the pet safe, all that stuff. The tech could've been more James Bond and less Get Smart, something more easily hidden than a communication helmet, especially as the helmet didn't play into the story. However, overall this was fun, and has some elements like end-of-chapter questions and encouragement, and end-of-story prompts to engage readers. Not a bad start to a series, not great, but not bad!
#NetGalley
#NetGalley
April 19, 2021
Cute early chapter book. On a Monday morning, a boy discovers two surprising things: his mom is a superhero and his class ferret is trying to take over the world! Adventurous and action packed. Very plot driven.
Large text and lots of pictures. Short chapters, though uneven in length. Some are literally two pages, and others are longer. Some good cliffhangers from chapter to chapter, but would be better if you had to turn the page to start the next chapter in some cases. Like the other Harper Chapters, the chapters are marked off as you read, (with encouragement to keep reading, which could be nice for a reluctant reader), and there are questions/activities at the end.
Large text and lots of pictures. Short chapters, though uneven in length. Some are literally two pages, and others are longer. Some good cliffhangers from chapter to chapter, but would be better if you had to turn the page to start the next chapter in some cases. Like the other Harper Chapters, the chapters are marked off as you read, (with encouragement to keep reading, which could be nice for a reluctant reader), and there are questions/activities at the end.
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April 22, 2021School Library Journal: Grades 1 - 3
Note: This series might be a good choice for children who are dyslexic. Line spacing, font size and type make it visually easy to read. Also, the use of illustrations and milestone markers support comprehension.
The format of this book has been developed to build the confidence of early readers. It is a
highly illustrated early chapter book, which is part of HarperChapters.
1. Short (89 pages).
2. Fast-paced books.
3. Art on every page.
4. Milestone markers at the end of every chapter.
5. Humorous
Note: This series might be a good choice for children who are dyslexic. Line spacing, font size and type make it visually easy to read. Also, the use of illustrations and milestone markers support comprehension.
The format of this book has been developed to build the confidence of early readers. It is a
highly illustrated early chapter book, which is part of HarperChapters.
1. Short (89 pages).
2. Fast-paced books.
3. Art on every page.
4. Milestone markers at the end of every chapter.
5. Humorous
August 5, 2020
In this action adventure early chapter book, Milton's mom is part of a secret organization called Society of Substitutes. When she shows up as a sub in Milton's class unexpectedly the action starts! I enjoyed reading this one and plan to add it to my list of early chapter books for boys. The encouragement at the end of the chapters is a great touch and the added activities at the end of the book are excellent!
November 14, 2021
I really love the style of these Harper Chapters! Such a great format for reluctant readers. This book, in particular, was very exciting. I can't wait to read the rest and share with first-second kiddos.
Want to read
August 5, 2020Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
January 10, 2021
Cute book for beginning readers! Funny but also silly book!
March 6, 2021
Fun and fast-paced early chapter book with a zany plot.
January 16, 2022
The first in a cute fun early reader series. A simple plot but for those that are beginning to independently read chapter books, it is perfect. The humor helps a lot. Grades 2 and up
August 23, 2022
Cute series. Even the two year old liked it
February 24, 2023
Fabulous book! Great for the bookworm kids! I'd give it a five 🌟. Super interesting!
February 24, 2023
A truly enjoyable beginning illustrated novel of what must happen when evil class pets escape and plot mayhem.
December 6, 2021
That was amazing, I like this book so much, I'll be sure to read more in the future for this series, Thank you!
I like it? yes & I’ll make sure to recommened it to everyone around , Thank you guys for that .
I like it? yes & I’ll make sure to recommened it to everyone around , Thank you guys for that .
December 29, 2021
Read this to Little Man. It's a decent chapter book to dive into as a rising second grader. He probably could have read the whole thing himself, but I had fun reading it with him.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews